One Man's Maple Moon: Journey Tanka by Marilyn Humbert

English Original

his journey

across wide gibber plains

bruises my feet

-- every word

I've spoken in anger

Cattails, October 2017

Marilyn Humbert


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

他的旅程

橫跨寬闊的吉布平原

挫傷了我的腳

-- 每句話出自我的口

都是氣話

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

他的旅程

跨越宽阔的吉布平原

挫伤了我的脚

-- 每句话出自我的口

都是气话

Bio Sketch

Marilyn Humbert lives in the Northern suburbs of Sydney NSW Australia. Her tanka and haiku appear in international and Australian journals, anthologies and online. Her free verse poems have been awarded prizes in competitions and some have been published.

A Room of My Own: Pool Spray

The Reuters journalist keeps pushing the question. "You're just a lightweight. Don't talk to me that way!" the President says loudly with a twist to his mouth. Silence penetrates the room.

night news on mute 

my Mexican parrot yells

concede, concede ... 

FYI: A pool spray is an American political/journalistic term for an event in which photographers and other members of the news media are allowed to visit briefly with the US President. This haibun was inspired by   Business Insider, Nov. 27: Trump snapped at a reporter quizzing him about his election defeat, saying "Don't ever talk to the president that way."

Added: One Hundred Forty-Sixth Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

Faith Like a Mustard Seed

a 12-foot

monolith in the red-rock desert

appeared then vanished...

I recall the President's words

like a miracle, it'll disappear

the White House

shrouded in a cloud

of ravens 

in infectious dreams

I chant, January 21st

FYI: Insider, Nov.29: "The strange, metal monolith recently found in the remote Utah desert has mysteriously vanished" and CNN, Dec. 1: "'It's going to disappear': A timeline of Trump's claims that Covid-19 will vanish."

Added: written in response to Donald Trump's so-called "most important speech" delivered on Wednesday and for Leonard Cohen who remarked, There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.

his twisted smile

and a crack in the wall 

between two flags--

the Stars-and-Stripes

and the presidential seal

Poetic Musings: Spiraling Thoughts Haiku by Kala Ramesh

a tornado spiraling thoughts to the sky 

Under the Basho, 2013

Kala Ramesh

Commentary: The link word acts as a media to create subtle images. Here, if we take out "thoughts", it would be a simple prosaic sentence. The word "thoughts" drives the inner urge of the reader to look up the sky and action-based spiraling of tornado for detail logical deliberation. Moreover, it can be classified as a classical monoku with multiple meanings... (excerpted from To the Lighthouse: Monoku: An Experiment with Minimalism in Haiku Literature by Pravat Kumar Padhy)

One Man's Maple Moon: Insomniac Poet Tanka by Aya Yuhki

English Original

an insomniac poet

looking for words at midnight --

through the window

a tower glazed with rain

at the end of town

Gusts, 31, Spring/Summer 2020

Aya Yuhki 

Chinese Translation (Traditional) 

失眠的詩人

在午夜尋找書寫材料 --

眼望窗外

看到在小鎮的盡頭

被雨水洗淨的塔樓

Chinese Translation (Simplified) 

失眠的诗人

在午夜寻找书写材料 --

眼望窗外

看到在小镇的尽头

被雨水洗净的塔楼

Bio Sketch

Aya Yuhki was born and now lives in Tokyo. She started writing tanka more than thirty years ago and has expanded her interests to include free verse poetry, essay writing, and literary criticism. Aya Yuhki is Editor-in-Chief of The Tanka Journal published by the Japan Poets’ Society. Her works are featured on the homepage of the Japan Pen Club’s Electronic Library.

Butterfly Dream: Garden peonies Haiku by Radostina Dragostinova

English Original

my daughter's giggle

the first garden peonies

burst into bloom

Honorable Mention, 10th Yamadera Bashō Haiku Contest 

Radostina Dragostinova

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

我女兒的嘻笑聲

第一批花園牡丹

群花綻放

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

我女儿的嘻笑声

第一批花园牡丹

群花绽放

Bio Sketch

Radostina Dragostinova lives in Bulgaria. She is a financial analyst, and she has spent leisure time writing haiku and learning ikebana lessons. And photography is her escape from the daily routine.

Butterfly Dream: New Moon Haiku by Vandana Parashar

English Original

new moon

my hand moves over where

once my breast was

 

Honourable Mention, Marlene Mountain Haiku Contest

Vandana Parashar

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

新月

我的手移到我的乳房

曾經所在之處

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

新月

我的手移到我的乳房

曾经所在之处

Bio Sketch

Vandana Parashar is a microbiologist, a teacher and a haiku enthusiast. Her work has been published in various online and print journals. And she has won several awards, such as honorable mention in 2015 Matsuo Basho  Haiku Contest, second place in 2017 Wordweavers Haiku  Contest,  and  third place in 2017 Samurai Haibun Contest. She lives in Panchkula, India with her husband and two daughters.

One Man's Maple Moon: Garbage Tanka by H. Gene Murtha

English Original

in my pickup

I look thru the rearview

snagged by a pin oak

the same garbage that

Hilary Tann writes about

Hermitage, 3:1

H. Gene Murtha 


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

坐在卡車裡

通過後視鏡我看到

車子被針橡樹纏住

這好像是希拉里·坦恩

所描述一樣的垃圾

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

 坐在卡车里

通过后视镜我看到

车子被针橡树缠住

这好像是希拉里·坦恩

所描述一样的垃圾

Bio Sketch

H. Gene Murtha, a naturalist and poet, sponsored and judged the first haiku contest for the inner city children of Camden, NJ., for the Virgilio Group, of which he was a lifetime member. He was widely published for his work in haikai literature from the USA to Japan.

Butterfly Dream: Autumn Rain Haiku by Kanchan Chatterjee

English Original

autumn rains ...

in the field a half sunk

paper boat

Third Prize, 2018 Wild Plum Haiku Contest

Kanchan Chatterjee

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

秋雨 ...

在田間一艘紙船

下沉了一半

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

秋雨...

在田间一艘纸船

下沉了一半

Bio Sketch

Kanchan Chatterjee is a fifty year old government service holder in the finance department of Government of India. He writes poems, especially haiku, tanka and haibun. He has won several haiku awards and  has been published in various online and print poetry journals. His haiku appeared regularly in NHK’s program, "Haiku Masters," in Japan. He was a ‘Pushcart Award’ nominee in  2012.

A Room of My Own: Thanksgiving-In-Place? Tanka

One Hundred Forty-Second Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

more restrictions

for Thanksgiving holiday?

bare branches 

tapping at the windows 

of a nursing home

FYI: CTV News, Nov. 24: "Thanksgiving could make or break U.S. coronavirus response."

In Pennsylvania, if you're having friends over to socialize, you're supposed to wear a mask -- and so are your friends. That's the rule, but Barb Chestnut has no intention of following it. "No one is going to tell me what I can or not do in my own home," said Chestnut, 60, of Shippensburg. "They do not pay my bills and they are not going to tell me what to do."

Added: For peace-loving Americans

Thanksgiving dinner

a row of We Just Did hats

on the mantle

Added: One Hundred Forty-Third Entry

Black Friday deals
two masked mother-to-be

compare their bellies

 

Added: One Hundred Forty-Fourth Entry 

 

commercials

blasting loud on TV ...

my niece

not sure which face mask

to wear on Black Friday

A Room of My Own: Rules for Thanksgiving Haiku

One Hundred Forty-First Entry, Coronavirus Poetry Diary

rules for Thanksgiving 

barefaced men wave brand new copies

of 1984

FYI: ABC News, Nov. 18: As pandemic surges, Trump White House calls Thanksgiving restrictions 'Orwellian' and Reuters, Nov. 23: Millions travel for Thanksgiving despite warnings.

One Man's Maple Moon: Peripheral Vision Tanka by Pratima Annapurna

English Original

parrots squabble

in my peripheral vision

a Trump fan

and a Trump foe

air-quoting each other

Pratima Annapurna

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

在視野的邊緣

我看到一群鸚鵡在吵架

川普的粉絲

和他的寇仇

用手互相比劃彼此的批評

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

在视野的边缘

我看到一群鹦鹉在吵架

川普的粉丝

和他的寇仇

试图互相比划彼此的批评

Bio Sketch

Pratima Annapurna is a daughter, wife and mother and friend who tries to make time for writing and visual art. She wants to quote her friend SriVidya here, because friendships are part of her identity: I am a housewife and many other little things. 

Butterfly Dream: Starlight Haiku by Goran Gatalica

English Original

starlight --

first snowflakes falling

in a blur

Presence, 63, 2019

Goran Gatalica


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

星光燦爛  --

第一場雪花

朦朧地飄落

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

星光灿烂 --

第一场雪花

朦胧地飘落

Bio Sketch

Born in Virovitica, Croatia, 1982, Goran Gatalica got both physics and chemistry degrees from the University of Zagreb, and proceeded directly to a PhD program after graduation. He has published poetry, haiku, and prose in literary magazines, journals, and anthologies.  He is a member of the Croatian Writers’ Association.

Butterfly Dream: Human Cloning Haiku by Peggy Willis Lyles

English Original

into the night

we talk of human cloning

snowflakes

To Hear the Rain, 2002 

Peggy Willis Lyles


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

我們談論複製人類

一直到深夜

雪花紛飛

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

我们谈论复制人类

一直到深夜

雪花纷飞

Bio Sketch

Peggy Willis Lyles was born in Summerville, South Carolina, on September 17, 1939. She died in Tucker, Georgia on September 3, 2010. A former English professor, she was a leading haiku writer for over 30 years -- helping bring many readers and writers into the haiku community.

One Man's Maple Moon: Sound of the Forest Tanka by Fumiko Nakajo

English Original

the leaves of trees

have an agonized look

at night

I think with wonderment

of the sound of the forest

Breasts of Snow, 2004

Fumiko Nakajo 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

樹木上的葉子

看起來很沮喪

在晚上

驚喜地我想起

森林之聲

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

树木上的叶子

看起来很沮丧

在晚上

惊喜地我想起

森林之声

 

 

Bio Sketch

Fumiko Nakajo (中城ふみ子, 1922-54) was a strong-willed woman who lived a tragic life. She died from breast cancer at the age of 32, just few months after her first collection of 50 tanka, titled Chibusa Soshitsu (The Loss of Breasts), won the first prize in a nationwide contest sponsored by a major magazine. She is, though almost unknown outside of Japan, considered to be the third in the three most famous Japanese female poets in the last century, right up there with Akiko Yosano and Machi Tawara.

Butterfly Dream: Leaf in the Wind Haiku by Eufemia Griffo

English Original

leaf in the wind

tonight i too

am alone

Dailyhaiga, May 27, 2018 

Eufemia Griffo 

Chinese Translation (Traditional)

一片樹葉在風中飄蕩

今晚

我也是獨自一人

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

一片树叶在风中飘荡

今晚

我也是独自一人

Bio Sketch

Eufemia Griffo lives in Settimo Milanese (Milano), Italy. She has published books of poetry and fiction, including Dracula’s Inheritance (The Legacy of Dracula) co-authored with Davide Benincasa, The  river is still flowing (a collection of tales), and her first Historical novel Triora's Witches. She has won many awards and has published haiku in the best international magazines. Here is her blog